Mariano Balleza is a town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, close to the border with Durango

Durango

Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...

. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of Balleza

Balleza

Balleza is a one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Mariano Balleza. The municipality covers an area of 7,073.6 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 16,325.-Towns and villages:...

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In the 2005 INEGI Census, the town reported a total population of 1,990.

The settlement was founded as a Jesuit mission

Mission (Christian)

Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...

, with the name San Pablo Tepehuanes, in 1640, as part of the efforts to evangelise the local Tepehuan

Tepehuán

The Tepehuán are a Native American ethnic group in northwest Mexico, whose villages at the time of Spanish conquest spanned a large territory along the Sierra Madre Occidental from Chihuahua and Durango in the north to Jalisco in the south...

 people; this was one of the earliest missions in that part of New Spain

New Spain

New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...

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In 1830 the State Congress renamed it in honour of Fr. Mariano Balleza, who fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo

Miguel Hidalgo

Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...

 in the War of Independence

Mexican War of Independence

The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...

. The town is still informally known as San Pablo Balleza.